It is often the case that telecommunications services and Internet access services are performed by different companies. When a telecommunications carrier offers services to a subscriber to an ISP (Internet service provider), the carrier performs authentication using PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) or PPPoA (Point to Point Protocol over ATM) which the carrier supports to determine if the subscriber is permitted to access an ISP network. On this occasion, the telecommunications carrier requires authentication information from the subscriber. Accordingly, the subscriber to the ISP needs to make a setting to access the ISP network by manually inputting subscriber setting information distributed by the ISP to subscriber terminal equipment.
In the following, a description will be made of a conventional method for manually making a setting to access an ISP network in subscriber terminal equipment as described above referring to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conventional method for manually establishing a network connection.
In FIG. 1, after subscriber terminal equipment C1 is connected to intermediary equipment C2, a subscriber inputs subscriber setting information sent from an ISP to the equipment C1. Thereby, the subscriber terminal equipment C1 is connected to an ISP network C6.
The conventional manual setting method, however, has some problems as follows.
The ISP is required to distribute subscriber setting information to subscribers by mail or the like so that each subscriber can manually input the subscriber setting information to make a setting.
In addition, since each subscriber manually inputs the subscriber setting information to make a setting, errors in inputting the information made by the subscriber impose a burden on the support of the ISP.
In order to avoid the problems mentioned above, there have been proposed methods of automatically making a setting to access an ISP network for subscriber terminal equipment. A conventional automatic setting method will be described referring to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional method for automatically establishing a network connection.
In FIG. 2, when subscriber terminal equipment D1 is sent to a subscriber, the personal information of the subscriber and the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the equipment D1 are registered in advance with a telecommunications carrier server D3. The subscriber terminal equipment D1 accesses a telecommunications carrier network D5 using information unique to the equipment D1 such as the MAC address. The telecommunications carrier server D3 verifies the MAC address triggered by the access to the telecommunications carrier network D5, and sets ISP subscriber setting information for the subscriber terminal equipment D1. Triggered by the completion of the setting, the subscriber setting information is deployed inside the subscriber terminal equipment D1. The subscriber terminal equipment D1 is disconnected from the telecommunications carrier network D5, and connected to an ISP network D6 according to the subscriber setting information.
There is found a conventional technique relating to the connection of a communication apparatus to an ISP network in Japanese Patent Application laid open No. 2001-325176 (Reference 1). Reference 1 discloses “Providing/Receiving Communication Method of Internet Access Information, Communication System and Information Recording Medium”. According to Reference 1, a user terminal selects a provider from screen display and inputs user information, thus automatically downloading its information setting.
Besides, as another conventional technique, Japanese Patent Application laid open No. 2003-32362 (Reference 2) discloses “Access Authentication Controller, Communication Terminal, Access Authentication System, Access Authentication Method and Program”. According to Reference 2, when a user dials a particular dial number on a communication terminal, a server automatically makes an information setting for the communication terminal.
The conventional automatic setting method, however, creates some problems as follows.
Between communication equipment of an ISP or a telecommunications carrier and subscriber terminal equipment, a connection is established based on information unique to the subscriber terminal equipment. Consequently, there is a possibility that charges for service are not appropriately collected from subscribers in cases, for example, where a subscriber has changed the subscriber terminal equipment, where the subscriber terminal equipment has been wrongly delivered to a subscriber, and where the subscriber terminal equipment has been bought and sold between subscribers.
In the conventional technique according to reference 1, a subscriber has to input setting information to access a network.
In the conventional technique according to reference 2, a network connection is established based on dynamic information like a caller number of a communication terminal. Therefore, when the caller number is changed, it may be difficult to access a network. Additionally, since a known subscriber line such as xDSL (xDigital Subscriber Line) is utilized to identify a user, it is impossible to make a setting for a user who is not a subscriber to the line. Further, a dialing destination must be registered for each ISP in advance, and there is a need for a communication terminal with respect to each ISP. Still further, each ISP has to be provided with a device to identify a caller based on the caller's telephone number, which increases the cost of installing equipment in the ISP.